Safety device for automobile starters



June 10, 1930. R. L!TTLER, SR 1,762,926

SAFETY DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE STARTERS Original Filed March 7, 1927 "I?52 W .39 4 w w Patented June 10, 1930 UNITED STATES ATENTf FmE ROBERTLITTLER, SR., OF 'PI'IILATD ELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MARTHA. ILITTLER, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA r f SAFETY DEvicE Foa-AotroMoBILESTARTERS Original application filed Mach 7, 1927, Serial Nb. 173,405.Divided aid this application filed October 27,

8192?. Serial No. 229,152.

' My present invention relates to new and useful improvements in devicesfor automobile starters, being a'division of my former application forpatent, Serial No. 173,405, dated March 7, 1927, and has-for its objectto provide an exceedingly simple-and effective device which willeliminate the pos- 'sibility ofstarting the engine of an auto;

mobile either by cranking or by the usual.

electric starter unless the shifting mechanism is in neutral, by the useof a member removable from the cranking shaft. 7 With these ends inview, this invention consists in the details of construction andcombination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically"designated by the claims;

In order that" those skilled the art to' Fig. 4, is a'detail viewfof theshield.

Fig. 5, is a detail view of the slide plate. Fig. 6, is a sectionapproximately on the line 66 of Fig. 1 with the mechanismfor operatingthe safety slide plate entirely removed. i

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied,l0 represents a portionof an automobile carrying the apron 11 in the front thereof, which apronhasthe usual hole or opening 12 for the passage of the engine shaft 13.i

.1 1 represents the safety slide platewhich is mounted in the guideways15 so as to slide back and forth crosswise of the'hole 12, and in thisslide plate is formed the button hole slot 16;. the two end portions ofsaid slot being of less width than the central portion thereof for thepurpose hereinafter eX- '50 plained.

35jrepresents the movablemember-ofan; electric sw tch'or'circuit'closerf so 'mounted opened, and therefore, the motor cannot be17 representsa shield'which is intended to fitover the projecting end ofthe shaft 13 and through the slot 16 in the safety slide plate, and thisshield has an annular groove 18, in which the edges of the narrowportions 'fii of the slot 16 slide. 1 I v When these edgesare in thisgroove, the shield cannot be withdrawn from the shaft, and'therefore theengine cannot be cranked, and this condition is maintained at all times0 when the gear shifting lever of the automobile is not in neutral,as'hereinafter explained; but when the gear shifting lever is in neutralthe enlarged portion of the slot 16 coincides with the'axis' ofjtheshield 17,

for the application of the crank. V

20 represents a short shaft journalled in thebearing 21', the latter.being mounted on the frame of the machine and the lower end? of thisshort shaft carries the arm-22 which is 'connectedvby the link 23 with,the safety slide plate 14, by the stud'24c. v

The upper end of the short shaft 20 carries the short lever 25 and thisshort lever is connected withthe lever 26 by the con- V H necting rod27; the-lever 26 being secured to one end of the horizontal shaft 28,the

latter being mounted in suitable bearings 29 secured to 'the instrument'board 30 or some other convenient portion of the machine. Upon theopposite end of this horizontal shaft 28 is secured a lever 31 to whichvis pivoted the connecting rod'32, the-lower 1 endof said rod beingpivoted to the electric' actuating switch bar33 which latter is pivotied to the'bracket 34 mounted'upon the machine. '1 r that when the'bar33 is in the position shownin Fig. 2, the circuit 37, Whichineludes thestartingmotor 38,;will be closed with the exception-of the foot. switch39,

so that-the actuation of this switch39 will permit the ,motor 38 to beput into operation in the usual manner; but when thegc'onnecting bar 33'is drawn out of contact with the movable member 35, this circuit will bestarted even though the foot switch 39 is closed.

40 represents an arm secured to the horizontal shaft 28, and this arm isconnected by a rod 41 to the ordinary gear shifting lever 42, from whichit will be seen that when this lever is in the position representingneutral, here shown as being vertical, the starting motor may be put inoperation or a crank may be applied to the projecting portion of theengine shaft 13, for starting the engine manually, but when the lever 42is moved either forward or backward, the mechanism previously describedwill open the circuit through the movable member 35 1 and will shift theslide plate 14 to one side I broad idea of preventing the manual crankorthe other, thus carrying the enlarged portion of the slot 16 out ofalignment with the shield thereby preventing the running of the startingmotor or the application of a crank for starting the engine.

From the foregoing description, it will be obvious that the engine of anautomobile equipped with my present improved safety device cannotbe-started when the transmission is in gear, thus entirely avoiding themany and serious accidents and loss of life incident to the presentconstruction of said machines.

The gist of my invention rests in the ing or power starting of theengine of a motor vehicle when the transmission is set for transmittingpower from the engine to the driving wheels of the vehicle, and I,

therefore, do not limit myself to the details of construction here shownas these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis:

1. A safety device for automobiles, comprising a shield adapted to beapplied to and removed from the cranking end of the engine shaft of theautomobile, and means for locking said shield against withdrawal whilethe transmission mechanism of the automobile is out of neutral.

2. In combination with the engine shaft of a motor vehicle, a shieldadapted to be placed upon said shaft or removed therefrom and when inplace preventing application of a starting crank to the shaft; a platehaving a slot therein, through which said shield is adapted to pass, andmeans for engine, power transmission mechanism, de-

vices controlling the latter, a cranking shaft adapted to receive astarting crank, a shield removably mounted on the shaft and when inplace acting as a barrier to the application of the crank, meanscoacting with the shield to hold said shield on the shaft and preventits removal, and means connected with said shield holding means and thedevices controlling the power transmission mechanism to move saidholding means and.

release the shield when'said power transmission mechanism is in aneutral position.

The structure set forth in claim 4 in combination with a starting motor,an electric circuit including said motor, a source of.

electrical energy and a switch,'and means connecting the devicescontrolling thepower transmission mechanism and said switch whereby thelatter will be actuated simultaneously with the movements of the shieldholding means to close the switch when the said holding means coactswith the shield to prevent displacement of the latter.

6. Ina device of the kind described, an engine power transmissionmechanism, devices controlling the latter, a crank shaft adapted toreceive a starting crank, means removably mounted on the shaft to act asa barrier to the application of the crank, and means coacting with saidfirst mentioned means to normally hold said first mentioned means on theshaft and prevent its removal, and means connected with the secondmentioned means and the devices controlling the power transmissionmechanism to move said second mentioned means and release the firstmentioned means when said power transmission mechanism is in a neutralposition.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ROBERT LITTLER, SR.

, locking the shield upon the shaft when the plate is in other thanneutral position.

3. In a device of the character described, a slide mounted upon thatportion of an automobile through which the cranking end of the engineshaft projects; means for operating the slide from the transmissionlever;

and a circuit breaker included in the circuit 7 of theelectric starter,a shield adapted to

